Rain gutters are a ubiquitous part of every house and most buildings and serve to collect rain water runoff from their roofs and discharge it at selected locations, normally through down spouts. Not only do gutters prevent runoff from the roof's surface falling directly onto the surrounding lawn or garden causing pitting or trenching of the lawn or garden but the down spouts direct the water away from the buildings' foundations decreasing the risk of water seepage and damage to cellars from normal rain falls.
However due to the proximity of many homes and buildings to trees, and to the shedding of particles from many roofing materials, installed gutters may become obstructed or clogged with, for example, dead leaves, pine needles, twigs, and roofing shingle particles thus interfering with the free flow of rain water runoff along the gutters and into and down the down spouts. This can cause the rain water to flow over the edge of the gutters, pitting or trenching of the lawn below, and during periods of freezing weather causes the accumulated water to freeze creating further obstruction to later rain fall runoff. If the gutters or down spouts become clogged with leaves and other material blocking passage of rain water, freezing may burst portions of the gutter system requiring repair or replacement. Gutters must therefore be routinely cleaned to remove the debris which is a time consuming, dirty job and for most homes can be a dangerous job for the home owner and requires them to hire professionals to do the required cleaning and maintenance.
Many devices and systems have been used in attempts to prevent or minimize this natural collection of leaves, twigs or roofing material in gutters and down spouts. For example Bugbird U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,684 discloses an hollow cage down spout strainer device resembling an inverted kitchen whisk having a weight affixed to its lower end and a protruding wire loop at its upper end. The Bugbird device is placed into the upper end of a down spout by use of a long pole having a hook at its upper end that engages the wire loop of the device. The weight maintains the strainer upright and in the down spout. The device allows rain water to pass from the gutter into the down spout while catching leaves and other larger foreign matter from entering the down spout. However the Bugbird hollow cage device does not prevent foreign matter from entering the gutters themselves which will create clogging in the gutters and permits smaller matter from entering the down spout. It also requires routine careful removal and cleaning out of the accumulated material caught by the device, and of the material in the balance of the gutters. During heavier periods of accumulation of debris in the gutters, such as in the Fall season, the Bugbird strainer can catch enough leaves during a single rainfall to effectively clog entry to the down spout.
An example of a device used to regularly clean out debris from gutters is the GUTTER CLAW.TM. cleaner sold by Birch Industries Inc. of Skippack, Pa. It consists of a six foot pole having a universal blade attached to its further end for scrapping and cleaning of gutters by a person proximate the height of the gutter. While this makes the task of cleaning-out gutters a bit easier and more efficient, it does not prevent clogged gutters from occurring in the first place.
Many devices have been devised to prevent foreign material from entering the rain gutters and subsequently down spouts. For example, gutter guards made of wire mesh, commonly sold in rolled form, must be unrolled or flattened prior to attachment to the gutters. Further, the wire mesh may become deformed during manufacture, shipment, unrolling at the site, or installation thus decreasing its effectiveness. Smaller matter may still work its way through the mesh design necessitating removal of the wire mesh design devices and direct cleaning of the gutter trench. Attempts at hinging these wire mesh designs to facilitate exposure of the gutter trench for cleaning results in less than optimal installation, and deformation of the wire mesh tends to interfere with movement of the wire mesh designs from the covered to exposed positions over the gutter trench.
Clarkson U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,134 attempts to improve upon these wire mesh designs and discloses a hinged gutter guard device in the form of an elongated perforated cover plate made of a relatively rigid material having hinge straps along one longitudinal edge and is designed to cover the open gutter trench. The hinge straps are positioned within longitudinal slots and are adapted to be secured to a roof beneath the lower course of shingles. The straps can be shifted within their slots to ensure proper attachment and operation. However, smaller material, such as shingle debris can still pass though the Clarkson design perforations and although the hinged design eases cleaning of the gutter trench, they still must be cleaned. Further, in heavy rainfall, the force of the rain water off the roof impacting the Clarkson design can cause part of the water to skid off the Clarkson gutter guard entirely and fall directly on the lawn below causing pitting or trenching. Attachment to the roof by the preferred method involves embedding an exposed barb on the tongue portion of each hinge strap into the underside of the shingles. Over time, the prolonged stress of the weight of the Clarkson gutter guard during normal use and the stress of raising and lowering of the gutter guard about the hinge straps can weaken or tear the shingles to which they are attached necessitating repair or replacement of the shingles.
Another patent, Rees U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,686, discloses a filter attachment constructed to fit over the gutter trench. The filter attachment comprises an elongated screen with a pad of fibrous material, such as fiber glass, clamped to the screen's underside. Adjustable clamping means hold the filter attachment in place over the gutter trench. The screen has from 0.25 to 0.50 inch square openings. However, these openings can trap smaller particles such as shingle material and requires cleaning or removal of this built up material on the surface of the screen to prevent clogging of the screen. Since the screen's apertures trap this smaller debris within them, cleaning can be difficult and time consuming.
There are also several commercial products designed to prevent foreign matter buildup in gutters. For example the FLOW-FREE.TM. gutter protection system sold by DCI of Clifton Heights, Pa. comprises a 0.75 inch thick nylon mesh material designed to fit within 5 inch K type gutters to seal the gutters and down spout system from debris and snow buildup. The FLOW-FREE device fits over the hanging brackets of the gutters and one side extends to the bottom of the gutter to prevent its collapse into the gutter. However, the FLOW-FREE gutter protection system is pre-cut to fit only 5 inch K gutters while many home owners have other types of gutters. Further, debris, in particular shingle material and pine needles, can become trapped in the coarse nylon mesh material and must be cleaned to avoid blocking the flow of rain water through the nylon mesh. Because of the coarseness of the nylon mesh material, attempts at cleaning it is very difficult, if not impossible, and can just further embed the foreign matter deeper into the mesh.
Another commercial product is the GUTTER HELMET.RTM. gutter protection system manufactured by American Metal Products and sold by, for example, Delaware Valley Gutter Helmet of Frazer, Pa. The GUTTER HELMET device covers most of the gutter with a bullnose shaped protrusion proximate the outer edge of the gutter. The surface tension design of the bullnose facilitates channeling of rain water down the bullnose into the gutter while leaves and other debris are designed to blow over the top of the bullnose.
However the GUTTER HELMET device is affixed to the edge of the roof by screws, for example, which can lead to leaks through the roof. Also, many times the building's existing gutters must be re-pitched to obtain a proper downslope of the GUTTER HELMET device to permit rain water to flow down the bullnose and into the gutter. Without re-pitching, rain water may puddle next to the roof and under the shingles leading to roof rot and damage. Unless and until the bullnose is completely wetted, the surface tension design is not efficient and water may drip directly onto the lawn below potentially leading to soil erosion and water in the building's basement. In cold weather, the dripping water causes icicles to form which are unsightly and can fall, becoming a safety hazard.
Further, a dirt mildew builds up on the bullnose preventing water from flowing into the gutter and necessitating the bullnose be routinely scrubbed and cleaned to remove this dirt mildew. Installation of the GUTTER HELMET device is relatively expensive and additional expense is involved for certain installations. For example, installation on 1/2 round type gutters requires that the back of the GUTTER HELMET device be filled in to prevent birds from nesting in the opening. Installation on flat roofs requires cutting and bending of the GUTTER HELMET device so that it can be attached to the facie board.
Additionally, diverters must be installed in all valleys of a roof and where a great deal of water must be dispersed. Otherwise the force of the excess rain water greatly decreases the efficiency of the bullnose design and some water will run off the bullnose and fall to the lawn or surface below. In some installations, the GUTTER HELMET device has been known to buckle from the heat of the sun. Some debris, such as shingle particles, may be heavy enough that they would wash down with the water into the gutter and not be blown off during periods of rain as designed. Over time, the gutters and down spouts could become clogged by such debris which would require removal of the GUTTER HELMET device to clean the gutters and down spouts.
The Englert LEAFGUARD.TM. gutter protection system, sold by, for example, LeafGuard Mid Atlantic, of Woodlyn, Pa. is somewhat similar in design to the GUTTER HELMET gutter protection system in that surface tension or liquid adhesion of the rain water is used to direct the water into the gutter along a bullnose design through a narrow opening next to the outer gutter lip while leaves, etc., are designed to be deflected away from the gutters.
However the LEAFGUARD device is a one piece, seamless K style gutter system and can not be retrofitted on existing gutter systems. The gap between the bullnose and the outer lip of the gutter trench is even greater than that of the GUTTER HELMET so debris still falls into, and accumulates in, the gutter trench. This requires routine cleaning which is difficult since it is a one piece system and the bullnose portion can not be separated from the gutter trench portion. The gap is also large enough that birds may nest in the gutter trench leading to clogging. Also, down spouts are needed every twenty five feet of gutter length which increases cost affects the aesthetics of the gutter system installation. Again, diverters are needed in the valleys of the roof, among other places, to handle expected larger flows of rain water, and the bullnose must first be sufficiently wetted to work properly. Dirt mildew buildup is also a problem and must be routinely scrubbed and cleaned off.
The GUTTER PROTECH.TM. gutter protection system, sold by Absolute Gutter Protection, L.L.C. of Woodbury, N.J. is also designed to use surface tension and liquid adhesion of rain water to direct rain water into the gutter trench through two rows of alternating angled slots over mini-bullnoses. Small debris, such as shingle material, may follow the water runoff into the gutter trench eventually requiring removal of the GUTTER PROTECH device to clean the gutter trench. As in similar designs, the bullnoses must first be sufficiently wetted to work properly and dirt mildew buildup on the bullnoses must be routinely scrubbed and cleaned off. Diverters are also again required to handle expected larger flows of rain water to ensure the runoff flows into the gutter trench via the bullnoses.
Finally, the WATERFALL.TM. plastic gutter guard system, manufactured by Benjamin Obdyke Incorporated, also uses the principle of liquid adhesion and includes two sets of parallel channels each having drain holes. Rain water flows from the roof onto the WATERFALL device with some of the water flowing over the bullnose structure of the upper channel and into the upper channel, through its drain holes and into the gutter trench, The second, lower channel, is likewise designed to collect any remaining runoff and direct it into the gutter trench via its bullnose and drain holes.
However debris tends to accumulate in the parallel channels and they must be routinely cleaned out. Since the WATERFALL device is made of plastic, it can crack in cold weather degrading its performance and requiring replacement. Separate sections are just abutted to the adjoining sections and secured. However the abutted sections tend to separate and allow debris to collect in the gutter trench necessitating removal of the WATERFALL device and cleaning the gutter trench. Since the device does not include end caps, birds can gain entry into the gutter trench at the ends and build nests. The device is designed to just slide under the lower row of shingles without otherwise being attached, so it tends to separate from beneath the shingles and can be blown off the gutters. Also, the number of different type gutter systems onto which the WATERFALL device may be installed is limited.
None of these above-described systems keep all debris out of gutter systems allowing just rain water to drain into gutter trenches. An unacceptable buildup of debris, either on the surface of the devices or within the gutter trenches or down spouts, almost always eventually occurs.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gutter shield that permits drainage of rain water runoff into the gutter trench without an unacceptable accumulation of debris either on the outer surface of the system or within gutter trenches or down spouts forcing routine cleaning.
A further object of this invention is to provide a gutter shield that can be retrofitted to most any type of existing gutters on most any roof design.
Another object of this invention is to provide a gutter shield that is economical to manufacture and install.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a gutter shield that is not adversely affected by the elements such as extreme heat or cold.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.